With the IdeaPad S12, Lenovo is first to offer a netbook based on Nvidia’s Ion chipset. So far, we like what we see. The 12-inch netbook will give you the whole HD, game-playing thing for about $500. Nividia’s Ion is basically Intel’s Atom processor combined with the Nvidia 9400m graphics unit.

The resulting performance offers smooth 1080p video, accelerated h.264 playback, Blu-ray playback and moderate gaming capabilities. When it’s in a netbook, you get a midrange, 12-inch netbook with a multimedia slant. Some specs include: 1GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, a 4-in-one card reader, a 3-cell battery (upgradeable to 6) and an ExpressCard slot for 3G expandability. XP is the OS of choice. Pricing starts at $449. The S12 goes on sale in July.

hopefully this will have the duo core atom in it. it is much faster than the single core, although intel is apparently realeasing a new atom, although not a whole lot of word on that atm. i just plainly want something more than the atom n270 because many of us have already seen its limitations in the asus n10 (wich has a dedicated 9300 gpu).